METHOD

Mix half a cup of warm water with sugar and yeast. Stir, cover and let it activate.

In a mixing bowl, whisk all-purpose flour with corn flour, gram flour and salt. Pour ghee and give it a mix. Now, pour the activated yeast and start whisking. Put couple spoons of warm water at a time as you continue making a smooth pancake like batter. Finally, pour the food color (optional) and give it one last whisk. Cover the bowl and keep it in a warm place for the batter to ferment. It should take about 2 to 3 hours and during that time, do not shake or move the bowl.

Once the batter ferments, make the sugar syrup. In a saucepan, mix everything and let it boil in high heat for about 7 minutes. It should be sticky and not too thick.

To fry the Jalebi, heat enough oil in a flat saucepan. Keep the heat at medium low. Now using either a piping bag/zip lock bag or a squeeze bottle, start squeezing out the batter in hot oil making concentric circles. Do not overcrowd the pan.

Fry until its golden brown. It should take about 5 to 7 minutes. Once done frying, transfer it to the golden syrup and let it swim there for about a minute or two. Then, take it off and put it a serving plate.

Notes:

The batter can also be prepared without yeast. In that case, you have to add sour yogurt to prepare the batter and allow it to rest overnight for it to ferment.

While frying the Jalebi, make sure the oil is at medium low or else the concentric circles will be very difficult to shape up. Also, please remember that making perfect Jalebi spiral is an art that comes with lots of practice.

Kankana Saxena

Kankana Saxena shares her memories and stories through food and seasonal fresh ingredients. Her love for food and photography along with her husband's assistance gave way to a culinary journey called Playful Cooking